LAS VEGAS — Summer League is a lot of things: Part celebration of young NBA talent, part NBA convention, part networking event, part owners meetings, part party…
And there's basketball. A lot of basketball. It's the first chance for many fans and media members to get a look at the top draft picks in person and see how their games translate in a quasi-NBA setting. It's also a chance to see how players who have been in the league for a year or two have improved.
Here are the 15 most interesting players I saw in Las Vegas, broken down by category. This is an incomplete list and only includes players I saw in Las Vegas. That means guys such as Ace Bailey are not on here (he has yet to play in Vegas).
The Big Names
Cooper Flagg
The No. 1 pick lived up to the hype.
What makes Flagg such a promising prospect is that his floor is high — on nights his shot is not falling, he remains an elite defender and shot blocker, he runs the floor hard, makes smart passes, and he can be a secondary shot creator. That's what happened in his debut.
Flagg struggled with his shot in his first game (5-of-21) and there are going to be moments like that during his rookie season. His ability to create and consistently knock down shots is the only real question about his game entering the league, and consistency with that will take some time to develop. That said, Flagg bounced back with 31 points in his second outing, showing off his ability to drive and finish with either hand.
While Flagg looked good with the ball in his hands, he looked better playing off it, and that will be more of his role in Dallas where D'Angelo Russell in the short term and Kyrie Irving long term (once healthy), not to mention Anthony Davis, will facilitate the offense most of the time.
Dylan Harper
Spurs fans had to wait to see the No. 2 pick, he didn't play in the California Classic games or in the Spurs' Las Vegas Summer League opener due to a groin issue. When he did take the court, he impressed, showing flashes of his athleticism and putting up highlights — and not just on the offensive end.
Harper was smooth on offense, showing control of his pace to get into the lane and the ability to finish with either hand at the rim, or hit a little floater. He finished in Vegas averaging 16 points a game, but shooting 35.7% from the floor — there is some work to do, but Harper impressed with how he played and his body control. He's going to be special.
VJ Edgecombe
After creating a buzz by dropping 28 points in the Salt Lake Summer League, Edgecombe's Las Vegas debut was delayed until Tuesday night due to a thumb injury. When he finally got back on the court, he impressed with a couple of athletic defensive plays in transition to take away scoring opportunities, and his drive-and-dish game was on. What was not on was his shot. Edgecombe shot 0-of-7 from the floor in the first half, but he wasn't making excuses.
"Simple, I was just missing shots. Ain't nothing I can say about that," Edgecombe said.
In the second half, he started to get downhill to the rim more, and with that, he found his shot, hitting 4-of-7 on his way to finishing with 15 points. Forget the shooting struggles, plenty of promising rookies have them at Summer League, it was the way he did everything else that makes us think Edgecombe is going to get plenty of run in Philly this season.
Yang Hansen
Yang's style of play is infectious — it had the other Trail Blazers in Las Vegas playing hard and cutting off him, knowing he could find them with a pass. It was also infectious for the crowds, who turned out in large numbers to see the Chinese star play. He didn't disappoint them.
Yang's passing skills are as advertised, he sees the court and makes passes that few big men can. He's also got a nice 15-foot jumper, and he can bully his way to the paint in a mismatch. There is a lot to like about his game. There is also a long way to go — his defense is unimpressive (especially away from the rim) and he's going to have to get a lot stronger. Still, there was plenty to like about the Trail Blazers' surprise first-round pick.
Bronny James
Summer League is a benchmark for young players — it's not the raw numbers we see from second-year players, it's how much they improve season over season. Are we seeing growth?
With Bronny James, the answer is a clear yes. His defense has always been good, but his handles and decision-making came with a lot more confidence this year.
"His passing out of the pick and rolls and really seeing," Lakers Summer League coach Lindsey Harding said of Bronny's improvement. "And it's not just the pass to the big rolling, it's if the low man comes over, he sees the man in the corner. Right? It's the whole floor. And I think it's easy to see one read, but, like, he's developing everything else. Understanding where everyone else is on the floor and where their defenders are coming from."
Bronny's shot is still a work in progress, and if he wants to be a regular rotation player that has to become consistent, but he looks like a guy who can handle a few more minutes for the Lakers this season.
Guys too good for Summer League
Matas Buzelis
The Bulls' Buzelis is getting the chance to run an offense in Las Vegas and show he is ready for more. His first game was a little rough around the edges (17 points on 4-of-14 shooting with four turnovers), but in his second outing he reminded everyone he is better than just about every other player in Vegas. He can run an offense, and he is too good to be here.
Reed Sheppard
Reed Sheppard was a standout a year ago at Summer League, but that didn't buy him consistent run during last season on a deep Rockets team. Back in Las Vegas, Sheppard has looked impressive again and just too good for this level, averaging 23 points a game. What should make coach Ime Udoka happy is that Sheppard just looks stronger and seems more comfortable with the physicality of the game, something he needs if he's going to get into the Rockets rotation as expected this season.
Ajay Mitchell
Ajay Mitchell re-signed with the Thunder for three years, $8.7 million this summer... so what is he doing in Las Vegas? Getting the reps and run he can't get on a championship roster. He's averaged 20 points a game, shooting 51.4% overall, with six rebounds and 4.3 assists a night, and is handling Vegas just fine (after three years of college parties in Isla Vista, before going pro, Vegas' party scene isn't going to faze him).
Kyle Filipowski
Filipowski is the leading scorer in Las Vegas, averaging 29.3 points a game on 56.1% shooting, including 39.1% from beyond the arc, plus 7.7 rebounds a game (in 28.6 minutes a night). Filipowski came on in the second half of last season in Utah and has taken a step forward from there. Utah shut him down after three games in Vegas (plus a couple in the Salt Lake City Summer League).
Guys Who Caught My Eye
Joan Beringer
Rudy Gobert is still an elite defender, but he is 33 and expensive, the Timberwolves might need to move on from him in a couple of years. It's just a few Summer League games, but one can envision Beringer, the French center that the Timberwolves took at No. 17, sliding into that defensive center role. He impressed with his athleticism and defense — recording Beringer 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks in his Summer League debut. He's averaged 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks a game in Las Vegas.
Noah Penda
The No. 32 pick in June's draft has shown a real versatility for the Orlando Magic (who traded some seconds to get him). He's averaged 11.3 points a game on 56.7% shooting, including 40% from beyond the arc, and has initiated the offense while playing point forward and even some stretch five. Most importantly, the French player has a high IQ game and is going to find a spot in the NBA.
"He's just got a knack for where to be on the floor, his instincts are phenomenal. I thought his rebounding for us was huge today. His ability to pick up things on the fly," Magic coach Ameer Bahhur said. "We played him at the five today, which he had never done before.... His versatility allowed us to use him as another ball handler to relieve pressure and bring the ball up the court. And he did a great job, whether he was at the four, whether he was at the five, he got us into what we needed to do and he helped us run our offense."
Daniss Jenkins
The former St. John's star emerged from Rick Pitino's world to earn a two-way contract with the Pistons — he should get at least that this season, maybe more. With Detroit in Vegas, he is playing fantastic defense — he's the reason Reed Sheppard had a relatively tough first night — and he's averaging 17.3 points a game while shooting 58.3% in 3-pointers. He can just flat-out play.
Ryan Kalkbrenner
He was a defensive anchor at Creighton, and that has translated nicely to his role for Charlotte in Summer League — he is a strong defender in the paint, averaging 2.3 blocks a game in Las Vegas. He's also scoring 8.7 points per game, although his rebounding and ability to be a stretch big need some work. Still, the potential is there, which is why Charlotte locked up the No. 34 pick with a four-year, $9.9 million contract.
Yuki Kawamura
Everyone loves Yuki — somebody give that man a two-way deal. He was on a two-way contract with Memphis and has earned at least another one of those from someone while playing for Chicago this summer.
Ryan Nembhard
The brother of Andrew Nembhard went undrafted because he was considered too small and there were a lot of questions about his shooting. What he showed in Las Vegas is that the former Gonzaga star knows how to run a team and be a strong floor general, and his shot is better than advertised, averaging 11.3 points a game. Nembhard is on a two-way contract with Dallas and will have the opportunity to prove his worth.
Carter Bryant
That other guy the Spurs drafted in the lottery (No. 14) turns out to be a defensive terror on the wing — he bothered Cooper Flagg more than any other player defending him in Las Vegas. You can see where he fits in San Antonio if he can develop a respectable offensive game, something that we have not seen in Las Vegas, where he is shooting 12.5% through three games. Still, the thought of a Spurs opponent struggling to drive past Bryant on the wing only to run into Victor Wembanyama in the paint is potentially terrifying.
